Public Media

UWF Board Set to Discuss WUWF’s NPR Affiliation Aug. 13

Readers doubted the university would go this far. Three sources say otherwise.

When I reported that WUWF had lost its executive director, several readers pushed back, telling me it was a stretch to think the University of West Florida would cut ties with National Public Radio.

• Unfortunately, they are wrong.

Three independent sources have confirmed that the UWF Board of Trustees will discuss its radio station’s affiliation with NPR at its next board meeting, set for Thursday, Aug. 13, at 9 a.m. at the Museum of Commerce in downtown Pensacola.

A 45-Year Partnership on the Table

NPR has been affiliated with WUWF since its first broadcast on Jan. 15, 1981, an affiliation built through the efforts of Dr. Tom Perry, UWF’s Director of Instructional Services and the station’s first general manager.

Dr. James Robinson, UWF’s president at the time, threw the ceremonial switch that put the 100,000-watt station on the air at 88.1 MHz. The first broadcast featured remarks from Pensacola Mayor Vince Whibbs, NPR President Frank Mankiewicz, and members of the West Florida legislative delegation. At 4 p.m. that day, WUWF joined the NPR network live for “All Things Considered.”

Here’s then-general manager Pat Crawford talking with Jeff Weeks on WSRE about WUWF’s 40th anniversary, back when WSRE was still a PBS affiliate:

Following PSC’s Lead

UWF appears ready to follow the same path Pensacola State College took last fall, when its board voted to discontinue its affiliation with PBS.

The right-wing conservative critique of NPR is that it is too left-leaning, too selective in how it frames stories, and should not receive public funding if it cannot be neutral.

NPR has rejected the allegation that its newsroom is ideologically biased, saying it is committed to serving a broad public audience. NPR leadership maintains its coverage is guided by journalism standards rather than partisan goals, and that the newsroom is insulated from corporate leadership.

WUWF Public Media is licensed to the UWF Board of Trustees and described as a member-supported service of the university.

Time to Organize

Supporters of WUWF and NPR have a month to organize before the board takes up the issue.

Bios and contact information for board members are available on the university’s website. Many trustees live outside Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, but several do live and work here.

How to Speak at the Meeting

Public comment procedures for the Aug. 13 meeting:

• Members of the public must register 24 hours in advance for virtual participation, or 15 minutes prior to the “call to order” for in-person comment.
• Individuals must address their comments to the Board of Trustees only.
• All speakers must provide their name, address, and relationship to the university for the record.
• All speakers should be tasteful, truthful, and concise.
• Individuals may waive their comment in support, opposition, or neutrality when their name is called by the chair.

Speakers are limited to three minutes, and the board is not required to respond to comments. Review the full BOT Public Comment Policy for further detail.